This invention relates generally to a safety device which may be employed by a boat or other marine vessel to allow the boat to return safely to shore or to its destination after sustaining damage to the hull which seriously destroys the water-tight integrity of the vessel. Specifically, the invention provides a flexible, water-tight cover which is quickly attachable with a bow noose to the vessel for use when the vessel is moving in order to act as a water-tight barrier to prevent water from being received through the damaged portion of the hull when the safety cover is deployed.
In many boating accidents, especially with small sized vessels which have very little compartmentation to provide sufficient water-tight integrity, oftentimes the vessel can strike shoals, rocks, or the hard sea floor and sustain substantial damage to the hull. It is not uncommon for a vessel in rough seas to sustain holes in the hull which would, without water-tight compartmentation, result in the sinking of the vessel. Oftentimes, such accidents happen several miles from safety and the personnel in the boat are often lost to drowning or exposure before they can be found. This type of accident can happen even though the power unit or the motor of the vessel has sustained no damage. Movement of the vessel with a crack or hole in the hull would oftentimes increase the flooding, making that an impractical solution.
The present invention provides a solution to the problem presented to the boatsman whose vessel sustains sufficient hull damage to allow water leakage into the boat by providing a portable, easily stowed, quickly deployable, flexible water-tight hull safety cover which is unrolled and secured at one end to the bow of the vessel, readily positioned under the hull and affixed to the vessel sides. When the cover is secured, the vessel can be safely driven forward, the damaged portion of the hull remaining covered as long as the vessel is kept in motion. The safety cover includes a flexible, waterproof sheet shaped to conform to the hull shape of the vessel, a bow attaching ring or noose disposed at one end of the sheet for affixing one end of the cover to the bow and a plurality of attaching apertures disposed along the lateral sides of the cover for attaching the lateral sides of the cover to the gunnels or sides of the vessel. When used with a vessel having an inboard motor and shaft protruding through the hull, a rigid support member is affixed to the stern end of the cover adjacent a large aperture in the cover. The cover is sized so that, when deployed, the peripheral edges of the cover will be disposed approximately one foot above the water line of the vessel. Utilizing the instant invention, a vessel which has sustained hull damage can be propelled back to a safe harbor or area for the pick-up of the personnel aboard.